Adjustable toilet flange assembly

ABSTRACT

An adjustable toilet flange assembly is disclosed for connecting a toilet with a waste pipe and to facilitate location of the flange on the upper surface of the floor even though the height of the floor surface above the waste pipe varies with different installations. The toilet flange assembly has an adapter pipe which is connected by a cemented joint with the waste pipe and has a hub with a female thread at its upper end. A flange member has a straight pipe section with an O-ring seal for making a telescopic connection inside the adapter member and having an annular flange on its upper end. A male thread on the pipe section adjacent the flange mates with the female thread of the adapter member and provides both height and angular adjustment of the flange.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/992,317filed Nov. 19, 2001, which claims priority of Provisional ApplicationNo. 60/252,449, filed Nov. 21, 2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to plumbing fittings and moreparticularly, it relates to an adjustable toilet flange assembly forfacilitating connection of a toilet to a waste pipe.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] There has been a longstanding need in the plumbing andconstruction industries for an adjustable toilet flange assembly whichis of low cost, easy to install in both new construction and existingbuildings, and which provides both height and angular adjustment with aleak-proof connection between the toilet and the waste pipe.

[0004] In the prior art, there have been many attempts to meet the needfor an adjustable toilet flange assembly but none has succeeded insatisfying the needs of plumbers and builders at reasonable cost. Mostcommonly, the current practice in both new construction and remodeling,is to use non-adjustable toilet flanges. In such practice, as shown inFIG. 6, the toilet flange 1 is made of plastic, such as polyvinylchloride (PVC). It is a one piece flange which comprises a round pipeportion with a unitary flange portion at its upper end; the lower end isadapted for connection through a stub pipe 2 to a street-elbow 3 whichis connected to a waste pipe 4. In new construction, such as a newhouse, the plumbing is roughed in at an early stage before the walls andflooring are closed. In the rough plumbing for a toilet, for example,the street elbow 3 is connected to the waste pipe 4 which runs to thesewer line. The waste pipe is joined to the elbow by a cemented joint 5.The upper hub of the elbow 3 is positioned under a cut-out in thesub-flooring S of the house where the toilet is to be located. When thetoilet flange 1 is to be installed, the stub pipe 4 is cut as necessaryto the required length for connecting the pipe portion of the flange 1to the elbow 3. The toilet flange is positioned for installation bydisposing the pipe portion through a hole in the sub-flooring S with theflange resting on the sub-flooring or on shims to space the flangeportion a suitable height above the sub-flooring to allow for theinstallation of finish flooring. The toilet flange is rotatablypositioned so that the bolt holes in the flange are oriented properlyfor alignment with the mounting holes in the base of the toilet which isto be installed later. With flange 1 properly oriented, cemented joints5′ and 6 of the stub pipe are made. The installation of the toiletflange is completed by anchoring it to the sub-flooring by fastenerswhich extend through the flange portion. After the joints are cemented,it sometimes becomes necessary to change the height of the flangeportion relative to the sub-flooring in order to accommodate a laterselected finish flooring of greater thickness such as tile or marble. Inthis case, the existing toilet flange 1 and the elbow 3 have to bebroken or cut at one or more cemented joints for removal andreplacement. This is a costly procedure for changing a toilet connectionduring either new construction of a house or later remodeling.

[0005] In view of the current practice as described above there is aneed for a low cost reliable toilet flange which can be adjusted inheight and angular position during initial installation or laterremodeling without destruction and replacement of fittings in the toiletconnection.

[0006] There have been many attempts in the prior art to meet the needfor an adjustable toilet flange. However, they have not met therequirements of low cost, reliability and simplicity. In U.S. Pat. No.6,065,160 to Winn granted May 23, 2000 an adjustable toilet flange isdescribed with a lower conduit which has screw threads adjacent the topend and an annular mounting flange adjacent the top end for securing thelower conduit to the underside of the floor. An upper conduit isprovided with screw threads in its outer surface and an annular outergroove at the upper end. An annular bolt-down flange is rotatablydisposed in the outer groove on the upper conduit for angular adjustmentof the flange relative to the upper conduit. The upper conduit isconnected with the lower conduit by the respective screw threads toprovide for depth adjustment of the toilet flange.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,539 granted to Kaziah on May 9, 1989discloses an adjustable closet flange having an upper member with anupper flange and a depending rib section with circular horizontal ribsjoined by vertical ribs. It also has a lower flange member with anupstanding cylindrical collar adapted to receive the rib section of theupper flange member. Resilient retaining fingers attached to the lowermember are insertable into spaces in the rib section for locking theupper and lower sections together at a desired height and angularorientation.

[0008] Other prior art patents pertaining to adjustable toilet flangesare: Dreier patent U.S. Pat. No. 872,331 granted Dec. 3, 1907; Farrellpatent U.S. Pat. No. 903,280 granted Nov. 10, 1908; Oakes patent U.S.Pat. No. 1,042,465 granted Oct. 29, 1912; and McEwen patent U.S. Pat.No. 3,775,780 granted Dec. 4, 1973.

[0009] A general objective of this invention is to provide an improvedadjustable toilet flange assembly and to overcome certain disadvantagesof the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In accordance with this invention, an adjustable toilet flangeassembly is provided comprising a flange member and an adapter memberfor connecting a toilet with a waste pipe having both height adjustmentand angular adjustment of the flange member relative to the position ofthe drain pipe.

[0011] Further, in accordance with this invention, the flange member isremovable from the adapter member or can be adjusted relative theretowithout the need for removing the existing floor or plumbing and withoutinstalling a new flange member. This is accomplished by a threadedconnection between the flange member and the adapter member togetherwith a telescopic joint between the flange member and the adapter memberwith a fluid-tight seal in the joint.

[0012] Further, in accordance with this invention, the adapter member isangularly adjustable relative to the flange member through 360 degreesthus providing flexibility with respect to the final direction of thedrain pipe.

[0013] Further, in accordance with this invention, a toilet flangeassembly may be provided with a single standard size flange member and aselected adapter member which is appropriate for coupling with theexisting drain pipe.

[0014] A complete understanding of this invention may be obtained fromthe detailed description that follows, taken with the accompanyingdrawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a toiletflange of this invention;

[0016]FIG. 1A is a magnified view of the encircled portion of FIG. 1;

[0017]FIG. 2A is an elevation view of a flange member of this invention;

[0018]FIG. 2B is a top plan view of the flange member of FIG. 2A;

[0019]FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken on lines 2C-2C of FIG. 2B;

[0020]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of atoilet flange of this invention;

[0021]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a toiletflange of this invention;

[0022]FIG. 5 is an elevation view of the adapter member of FIG. 1;

[0023]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art toilet flangeassembly;

[0024]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a modified toilet flangeassembly according to this invention;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0025] Referring now to the drawings, there is shown an illustrativeembodiment of this invention in an adjustable toilet flange assemblywhich provides for both height adjustment and angular adjustment betweenan upper flange member and a lower adapter member which, taken together,constitute a toilet flange assembly. It will be appreciated as thedescription proceeds that this invention is useful in many differentapplications and may be realized in various embodiments.

[0026] First Embodiment of the Toilet Flange Assembly

[0027] As shown in the exploded view of FIG. 1, the toilet flangeassembly 10 comprises a flange member 12 and an adapter member 14. Thetwo members are coupled together in a manner which will be describedpresently.

[0028] The flange member 12 is adapted to extend down through thesub-flooring A of a building in a vertical orientation as shown. Asshown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C, the flange member 12 is generally ofcylindrical shape and includes a straight pipe section 16 of circularcross-section with a uniform inside diameter. The pipe section 16 has alower end 34 and an upper end 35 which is of greater wall thickness thanthe lower end. The pipe section 16 terminates in an annular flange 18which is of unitary construction with the pipe section. The flange 18 isprovided with a set of circumferentially spaced T-slots 22 which arelocated on the same radius and adapted to receive the head end of anchorbolts for holding the toilet bowl to the floor. The flange 18 may restdirectly on the sub-flooring and be secured thereto by appropriatefasteners in screw holes 23.

[0029] The adapter member 14 (see FIGS. 1 and 5) comprises a straightpipe section 24 of circular cross-section having a uniform insidediameter. The adapter member 14 terminates in an upper end or hub 26which will be further described below. The lower end 36 of the straightpipe section 24 constitutes a sealing zone which will be describedbelow. The lower end 36 also includes a pipe connector socket 45 ofuniform inside diameter with an internal shoulder or limit stop 44. Thepipe section 24 terminates in a lower end which is adapted forconnection with a drain pipe C by a cemented joint 46.

[0030] Both the adapter member 14 and the flange member 12 arepreferably constructed of plastic such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) orsimilar plastic material. Such material should be well suited for makingcemented pipe joints using conventional plastic cement.

[0031] The hub 26 of the adapter member 14 is of enlarged diameterrelative to the pipe section 24 and is provided on its inside diameterwith conventional straight screw threads 28 of uniform root diameter.The pipe section 16 of the flange member 12 has an enlarged wallthickness at its upper end which is provided with male screw threads 32adapted to mate with the female screw threads 28. The screw threads 32and 28 provide a mechanical coupling between the flange member 12 andthe adapter member 14 which provides for height adjustment of the flangemember 12 relative to the adapter member 14 and it also provides forangular adjustment of the flange member relative to the angularorientation of the adapter member 14.

[0032] A telescopic connection is provided between the lower end 34 ofthe pipe section 16 of the flange member which is sized to fit in aclearance fit inside the lower end 36 of the pipe section 24 of theadapter member. A fluid tight slidable sealing means 40 is provided byan O-ring 38 which is nested in an annular groove 42 in the outsidesurface of the lower end 34 of the pipe section 16. The O-ring 38 coactswith the sealing zone in lower end 36 of pipe section 24 to provide afluid tight seal at any adjusted axial position of the flange member 12relative to the adapter member 14.

[0033] In use of the toilet flange assembly 10, the adapter member 14may be installed by connecting its lower end in the cemented joint 46with the existing drain pipe C under the sub-floor A. Then, the flangemember 12 is inserted through the opening in the sub-floor and into thehub 26 of the adapter member 14. The lower end 34 of the flange member12 extends below the threads 32 by a length which is somewhat greaterthan the length of the threads 28 in the hub 26. Accordingly, theinsertion of the straight pipe section 16 flange member 12 is guidedinto the adapter member 14 by an annular shoulder 37 at the upper end 36of the adapter member 14 until the male threads 32 are engaged with thefemale threads 28. The flange member 12 is rotated to advance the threadengagement until the flange member is adjusted to the floor level withthe annular flange oriented in an angular position in which a pair ofopposed T-slots 22 are in the desired location for installing thetoilet. In this position the flange assembly 10 is secured to the floorby threaded fasteners extending through screw holes 23 in the flange 18.In the adjusted position of the flange member 12, the O-ring 38 ispositioned in a sealing zone which extends between the annular shoulder37 and the limit stop 44. The limit stop serves to limit the insertionof waste pipe C into the connector socket 45 and comprises an annularrib protruding inwardly of the inside diameter of the pipe section 24.The stop 44 is engaged by the lower end 34 of the flange member 12 inits lowest adjusted position.

[0034] Second Embodiment of the Toilet Flange Assembly

[0035]FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention in a toiletflange assembly 110 which is adapted for installation of a toiletfixture on the second floor of a typical two story house. In this typeof installation, the toilet flange assembly 110 is connected between thetoilet (not shown) and a laterally extending waste pipe D which runsbetween floor joists (not shown) and parallel thereto. This embodimentis similar to flange assembly 10 of FIG. 1 in that the flange member 12is the same but the adapter member 114 differs from the adapter member14 in that it is a ninety degree elbow instead of a straight pipe.

[0036] The adapter member 114 comprises, in general, an upper hub 116and a lower hub 118 which are joined by an elbow section 122. The upperhub 116 is a two-stage hub comprising an outer hub 124 and an inner hub126 which are joined by a shoulder 128 which reduces the inner hub 126to a smaller diameter than that of the outer hub 124. The outer hub 124is provided with female threads 132 which mate with the male threads 32on the flange member 12. The inner hub 126 comprises a straight pipesection which extends between the upper shoulder 128 and a lowershoulder 134 which joins the inner hub 126 with the elbow section 122.The O-ring 38 in the flange member 12 coacts with the straight pipesection of the inner hub 126 and provides a seal therewith in thesealing zone between the upper shoulder 128 and the lower shoulder 134.

[0037] The lower hub 118 is joined by a shoulder 136 with the lower endof the elbow section 122. The lower hub 118 is connected with thelateral waste pipe D by a cemented joint 138 in a conventional manner.

[0038] In use of the toilet flange assembly 110, the adapter member 114may be installed by first connecting its lower hub 118 to the existingdrain pipe D with the cemented joint 138. Then, the flange member 12 isinserted through the opening in the sub-floor A and into the upper hub116 of the adapter member 114. The insertion of the straight pipesection 16 into adapter member 114 is guided by the annular shoulder 128until the male threads 32 on the flange member are engaged with thefemale threads 132 on the adapter member. The flange member 12 is thenrotated to advance the thread engagement until the height of the flangemember is adjusted to the floor level with the annular flange orientedin an angular position in which a pair of opposed T-slots 22 areproperly located for installing the toilet. In this position the flangeassembly 10 is secured to the floor by threaded fasteners extendingthrough screw holes 23 in the flange 18. In the adjusted position of theflange member 12, the O-ring 38 is positioned in the sealing zonebetween the upper shoulder 128 and lower shoulder 134 in the adaptermember 114.

[0039] Third Embodiment of the Toilet Flange Assembly

[0040]FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the invention which is usefulfor an installation similar to that shown in FIG. 3, described above.However, this embodiment utilizes a standard elbow, as will be describedbelow, in conjunction with a toilet flange assembly of this invention.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4, the toilet flange assembly 210 comprises, ingeneral, the flange member 12 and an adapter member 214. In thisassembly, the flange member 12 is identical to flange member 12 ofFIG. 1. The adapter member 214 is the same as adapter member 14 exceptthat it has a shorter axial length such that its lower end extendsslightly beyond the O-ring 38 when the flange member 12 is screwed fullyinto the adapter member 214.

[0042] For convenience and economy, the adapter member 214 can beprovided by cutting off the lower end of the adapter member 14 asindicated in FIG. 5 which depicts the adapter member 14 with a cut-offgroove 216. This groove 216 facilitates cutting off the lower end of anadapter member 14 and thus convert it to an adapter 214 when it isneeded by the plumber working on the installation job.

[0043] In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the toilet flange assembly 210 isused for connecting the outlet waste conduit of the toilet to a lateralwaste pipe D through a ninety degree reducing elbow 218. The reducingelbow 218 is of standard size in the plumbing industry for use withthree inch I.D. (internal diameter) and three and one-half inch O.D.(outside diameter) waste pipe, such as waste pipe D. Accordingly, thelower hub 222 of the reducing elbow 218 has an I.D. of three andone-half inches whereas the upper hub 224 has an I.D. of four inches.The lower hub 222 receives the free end of the waste pipe D in a slipfit for making a cemented joint 223. The upper hub 224 of the elbow 218is sized to receive the lower end of the adapter member 214 in a slipfit for making a cemented joint 225 between the adapter member and theelbow.

[0044] When the toilet flange assembly 210 is to be used, the standardelbow 218 is installed first by connecting it to the waste pipe D in thecemented joint 223. Then the adapter member 214 may be installed byconnecting its lower end in the cemented joint 225 with the upper hub224 of the of the elbow. Then, the flange member 12 is inserted into thehub 26 of the adapter member 214. The lower end 34 of the flange member12 extends below the threads 32 by a length which is somewhat greaterthan the length of the threads 28 in the hub 26. Accordingly, theinsertion of the straight pipe section 16 of the flange member 12 isguided into the adapter member 14 by an annular shoulder 37 at the upperend of the adapter member 214 until the male threads are engaged withthe female threads. The flange member 12 is rotated to advance thethread engagement until the height of the flange member is adjusted tothe floor level with the annular flange oriented in an angular positionin which a pair of opposed T-slots 22 are in the desired location forinstalling the toilet. In this position the flange assembly 210 issecured to the floor by threaded fasteners extending through screw holes23 in the flange. In the adjusted position of the flange member 12, theO-ring 38 is positioned in the sealing zone which extends between theannular shoulder of the adapter member 214 and its lower end.

[0045] Modification of the Toilet Flange Assembly

[0046]FIG. 7 shows a toilet flange assembly 10′ which is modified withreference to the first embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1 anddescribed above. In this modification, the adapter member 14′ is thesame as the adapter member 14 of FIG. 1 except that the upper end 35′ ofthe flange member 12′ is provided with a smooth external surface 32′instead of the male threads 32. Similarly, the adapter member 14′ ofFIG. 7 is the same as the adapter member 14 of FIG. 1 except that theinner surface of the hub 26′ is provided with a smooth interior surface28′ of uniform diameter instead of female threads 28 of FIG. 1. Further,the smooth surface 32′ on the flange member 12′ and the smooth surface28′ on the adapter member 14′ are provided with a clearance fit suchthat the upper end 35′ of the flange member can be fully insertedwithout interference into the hub 26′.

[0047] Use of the modified embodiment of FIG. 7 is the same as thatdescribed for use of the embodiment of FIG. 1 except that the flangemember 12′ is adjusted to the desired height with respect to the adaptermember 14′ by manually moving it in rectilinear motion instead of therotative motion described with reference to the FIG. 1 embodiment. Afterthe desired height adjustment is obtained, the flange member 12′ issecured in the desired position by securing it to the sub-flooring Awith screws in the screw holes 23.

[0048] It will be understood that the modified flange member 12′ and themodified adapter member 14′ may be provided in the toilet flangeassemblies of the second and third embodiments of the invention shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, respectively.

[0049] Alternate Design Features of the Toilet Flange Assembly

[0050] Certain features of the toilet flange assembly of this inventionare described above as being implemented with specific devices. Inparticular, the slidable sealing means 40 is implemented in theforegoing embodiments of the invention using an O-ring. Also, inparticular, the position adjusting means 30 is implemented in theforegoing embodiments using screw threads. It will be understood thatthe toilet flange assembly of this invention may be realized by usingalternate devices for implementing such design features. Examples ofalternate devices for the sealing means and for the position adjustingmeans are given below.

[0051] Slidable Sealing Means

[0052] In place of the O-ring 38 and slot 42 a seal ring of rubber orplastic having a flat rectangular or oval cross-section disposed in anannular groove may be used as an alternate slidable sealing means. Also,the sealing means may comprise a fiber seal ring impregnated with awax-based material. Further, a wide rubber sleeve stretched around thelower end of the flange member and seated in a wide annular groove maybe used as an alternate slidable sealing means.

[0053] Instead of using a slidable sealing means such as an O-ring orother annular seal rings, the slidable sealing means may be dispensedwith and a fluid sealing means between the flange member and the adaptermember may be provided on the surfaces of the threads 28 and 32. Forexample, a conventional thread tape may be applied in a conventionalmanner. Also, a waterproof non-hardening pipe dope or sealant may beused in a conventional manner on the threads.

[0054] Alternate Devices for Position Adjusting Means

[0055] In place of using threads 28 and 32, each of the followingdevices may be used as an alternate position adjusting means. In placeof the female threads 28, the interior surface of the hub 26 may beprovided with a helical slot extending from the top to the bottom of thehub with one or more turns and providing the flange member 12 with asingle protuberance on the external cylindrical and which is nested inthe slot so as to cause the flange member to move up or down withreference to the adapter member by camming action when the flange memberis rotated.

[0056] Further, in place of the threads 28 and 32, the adapter member 14may be provided with a set of annular grooves in the interior wall ofthe hub 26 which are spaced apart from top to bottom of the hub in equalincrements of spacing, each of the grooves being interrupted by a set offour equally spaced vertical grooves running from top to bottom of thehub. The flange member is provided with a set of four equally spacedprotuberances which lie in the same plane half-way between the top andbottom of the straight pipe section 16. The set of radial protuberancesare sized to fit in the vertical slots so as to allow the flange memberto be raised or lowered and locked into a selected position by rotationsufficient to position the four protuberances within the confines of oneof the annular grooves.

[0057] Another alternate device for the position adjusting means cancomprise a detent arrangement between the adapter member and the flangemember. In this, the adapter member is provided with one or more sets ofdetent recesses with the recesses in each set being arranged in avertical column on the interior surface of the hub of the adaptermember. The flange member is provided with a detent finger correspondingto each set of detent recesses. Each detent finger is unitary with thewall of the flange member at the lower end thereof and has its lower endattached in cantilever fashion to the wall. Each detent finger isprovided with a protuberance on its outer surface which mates with oneof the detent recesses when the detent finger is in its normalunstressed position in alignment with the adjacent portions of the wall.The detent fingers may be manually pressed inwardly to disengage theprotuberance from the detent recesses which allows the flange member tobe adjusted in height relative to the adapter member.

CONCLUSION

[0058] Although the description of this invention has been given withreference to a particular embodiment, it is not to be construed in alimiting sense. Many variations and modifications will now occur tothose skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A toilet flange assembly for connecting a toiletto a floor of a building and to a plastic waste pipe disposed under saidfloor, said flange assembly comprising: a plastic flange memberincluding a first cylindrical pipe section having upper and lower endportions, said upper end portion terminating in an annular flange forconnection with said toilet and said floor, said lower end portionhaving a first sealing zone, a plastic adapter member for connectingsaid flange member to said waste pipe, said adapter member including asecond cylindrical pipe section having upper and lower end portions,said lower end portion of said second pipe section having a secondsealing zone connected via an elbow to a pipe socket connector memberthat can be attached by a cemented joint to said plastic waste pipe, atelescopic connection between said lower end portion of said first pipesection and said lower end portion of said second pipe section wherebythe axial and angular positions of said flange member can be adjustedrelative to said adapter member, and fluid sealing means mounted on oneof said pipe sections in the sealing zone thereof for movement therewithand disposed in sliding engagement with said sealing zone of the otherof said pipe sections for maintaining a fluid seal therebetween, wherebysaid toilet flange assembly is installed by first connecting said pipesocket connector member to said waste pipe by a cemented joint and thenadjusting the flange member to desired angular and axial positions forfastening the flange member to the floor and whereby the angular andaxial positions of said flange member may be changed after installationto accommodate a different floor level or toilet orientation withoutneed for changing said cemented joint.
 2. A toilet flange assembly asdefined in claim 1, wherein said assembly comprises external screwthreads on the upper end of said first pipe section and internal screwthreads on the upper end of said second pipe section for matingengagement with said external screw threads.
 3. A toilet flange assemblyas defined in claim 1, wherein said fluid sealing means comprises: anannular groove in said lower end of said one of said pipe sections, andan annular seal ring disposed in said groove in sealing engagement withboth of said pipe sections.
 4. A toilet flange assembly as defined inclaim 3, wherein said one of said pipe sections is said first pipesection.
 5. A toilet flange assembly as defined in claim 4, wherein saidannular seal ring is an O-ring.
 6. A toilet flange assembly forconnecting a toilet to the floor of a building and to a plastic wastepipe disposed under the floor, said flange assembly comprising: aplastic flange member including a first cylindrical pipe section havingupper and lower ends, said upper end terminating in an annular flangefor connection with said toilet and said floor, a plastic adapter memberincluding a second cylindrical pipe section having upper and lower ends,said lower end of said second pipe section having an internal sealingzone of uniform inside diameter, said lower end of said second pipesection having an external connector surface of uniform diameter formating connection by a cemented joint with a connector socket of anelbow, said external connector surface surrounding at least part of saidsealing zone, a telescopic connection between said lower end of saidfirst pipe section and said sealing zone of said second pipe sectionwhereby the axial and angular positions of said flange member can beadjusted relative to said adapter member, fluid sealing meansoperatively connected between said sealing zone and said first pipesection, whereby said toilet flange assembly may be installed by firstconnecting said adapter member to said waste pipe by a cemented jointand then adjusting the flange member to desired angular and axialpositions for fastening it to the floor and whereby the angular andaxial positions of said flange member may be changed after installationto accommodate a different floor level or toilet orientation withoutneed for changing said cemented joint.
 7. A toilet flange assembly asdefined in claim 6, wherein said assembly comprises: external screwthreads on the upper end of said first pipe section and internal screwthreads on the upper end of said second pipe section for matingengagement with said external screw threads.
 8. A toilet flange assemblyas defined in claim 6, wherein said fluid sealing means comprises: anannular groove in said lower end of said one of said pipe sections, andan annular seal ring disposed in said groove in sealing engagement withboth of said pipe sections.
 9. A toilet flange assembly as defined inclaim 8 wherein said one of said pipe sections is said first pipesection.
 10. A toilet flange assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein saidannular seal ring is an O-ring.
 11. A toilet flange assembly forconnecting a toilet to a waste pipe disposed under a floor, said flangeassembly comprising: a flange member including a first pipe sectionhaving upper and lower end portions, said upper end portion having anannular flange and said lower end portion having a first sealing zone,an adapter member that connects to said flange member, said adaptermember including a second pipe section having upper and lower endportions, said lower end portion of said second pipe section having asecond sealing zone and a connector member, a telescopic connectionbetween said flange member and said adapter member whereby the axial andangular positions of said flange member can be adjusted relative to saidadapter member, and a fluid seal between said first and second sealingzones.
 12. A toilet flange assembly as defined in claim 11, wherein saidflange member is threaded into said adapter member.
 13. A toilet flangeassembly as defined in claim 11, wherein said first pipe section has awall thickness that is greater at said upper end portion proximate saidannular flange than at said lower end portion.
 14. A toilet flangeassembly as defined in claim 13, wherein said upper end portion of saidfirst pipe section has a set of external threads.
 15. A toilet flangeassembly as defined in claim 11, wherein said first and second pipesections each have a greater outside diameter at said upper end portionthan at said lower end portion.
 16. A toilet flange assembly as definedin claim 11, wherein said connector member of said second pipe sectioncomprising a pipe socket connector member that can be cemented onto anend of the waste pipe.
 17. A toilet flange assembly as defined in claim16, wherein said second pipe section includes an interior annularshoulder.
 18. A toilet flange assembly as defined in claim 11, whereinsaid second pipe section includes an elbow connecting said secondsealing zone with said connector member.
 19. A toilet flange assembly asdefined in claim 11, wherein said second pipe section comprises astraight section of pipe having no bends.
 20. A toilet flange assemblyas defined in claim 11, wherein said fluid seal comprises an O-ring incontact with both said first and second pipe sections.